Mail-bag despatcher.



W. BUTLER. MAIL BAG DESPATOHEB. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19, 1909.

923,623. I Patented June 1,1909.

3 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

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rrnrrnn STATES PATENT ai men WILBUR BUTLER, OF WABENO, WISCONSINASSIONOR OF ONE-HALF TO BURT M. BUTLER,

OF WABENO, WISCONSIN.

MAIL-BAG DESPATOHER.

Patented June 1, 1909.

Serial No. 473,156.

and State of Wisconsin, have invented new.

and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Despatchers, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to mail bag despatchers, and the object of theinvention is to provide a device of this character of'a comparativelysimple construction which will efiectively deliver mail deposited in asuitable receptacle through the open do or of a mail car.

WVith the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription progresses the invention resides in the novel constructionand arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings there has been illustrated a simple andpreferred embodiment of the invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view illustrating the device in a position to deliver mailto a passing car, the car being shownin section. Fig. 2 is a horizontalsectional view of the car, taken upon a line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of the station post and the delivery apparatusconnected therewith. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional viewthrough the device illustrated in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail showing themanner in which the latch member may be connected to either of theoperating members so that the device may be operated by a train assingin either direction. Fig. 6 is a etail plan view of the trigger membercarried by the car.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 1 designates an ordinary mailcar, having a suitable door opening 2 and a smaller pair of openings .3adapted for the reception of a link 4 provided upon the longitudinallyextending arm 5 of a trigger member 6. This trigger member is hingedlyconnected with the side of the car through the medium of one of a pairof brackets indicated by the numeral 7 and the member has its outer faceprovided with transversely extending arms 8. The arms 8. vary in lengthfrom the first to the last arm so as to provide means whereby should thesmallest arm fail to contact with the projection provided upon anoperating arm, hereinafter to be described, either of the succeedingarms will contact with the said oii set and operate the despatcher aswill be hereinafter set forth. The link 4 is rovided with a pivotedhandle, 9, through the medium of which the trigger 6 may be swung awayfrom the car to contact with the operating mechanism of the maildeliverer when mail is to be received within the car or to swing thetrigger 6 against the side of the car when not in use.

The numeral 10 designates a station post positioned a suitable distanceaway from the side of the car and track therefor. The post 1 has itsupper portion provided with a suitable opening 11 adapted for thereception of a rearwardly extending arm 12 connected with a mail box orreceptacle 13. This box 13 is provided with an open face whereby mailmay be readily inserted within the receptacle. The receptacle 13 issustained in a substantially horizontal position through the medium of aflattened resilient element 14 having its upper extremity bifurcated tosurround the arm 12 and to bear against the rear of the receptacle. Theresilient member 14 has its opposite end also bifurcated as indicated bythe numeral 15 and conncted to the post 1 in any desired manner. In Fig.4 of the drawings the extremity of this bifurcated resilient member isprovided with a threaded extension 16 annular in cross section andadapted for the reception of a suitable threaded element, such as a nut17, through the medium of which the tension of the spring member 14 maybe readily adjusted in relation to its pressure upon the rear of themail receptacle 13. Connected with the upper portion of the resilientmember 14 below the mail receptacle 13 is a rearwardly extending eyemember 18, and proj ecting vertically from this eye member is an element19 having its extremity formed with a loop or eye adapted to surroundthe arm 8 and to provide additional means for retaining the receptaclein a normal horizontal position. Pivotally connected to the post 10 asat 20 is a lever 21. This lever 21 is provided with a pair of forwardlyextending inks 22 extendlng through suitable openings 23 provided by thepost 10 and having their outer extremities connected with the resilientelement 14. By this arrangement, it will be noted that as rearwardpressure is exerted upon the lever 21 the resilient member 14, throughthe medium of the links will be drawn rearwardly toward the post 1.0carrying with it the mail receptacle 13, it being understood that theeye provided by the element 19 is securely attached to the arm 12 andlikewise securely attached to the eye 18.

In order to retain the mail receptacle in a position adjacent the postto be operated by a passing train and the spring at a sulficient tensionto throw the receptacle forward, I have provided the post with avertically arranged latch member 24 retained in slidable connection withthe post through the medium of suitable brackets 25. The upper portionof the latch 24 has a reduced engaging finger 26 adapted to be insertedwithin the eye 18 provided by the resilient member 14 and therebyeffectively retain the receptacle in its position adjacent its post.

The post 10 has its outer face provided with an angularly disposedbracket member 27 provided with suitable spaced eyes or openings 28which are adapted for the recep tion of the latch operating arms 29.These latch operating arms 29 are positioned upon two sides of the post10 having their inner extremities reduced and mounted in suit ablejournals 30 provided upon the opposite sides of the post 10. The arms 29project a suitable distance beyond the post and the bracket 27 and areeach provided with offset fingers 31 which are adapted to lie within thepath of the fingers 8 provided by the trigger member 6 when the saidtrigger is swung 5 outwardly away trom the car to deliver the mailwithin the car. The arms 29 are each provided with a transverse opening32 which is adapted for the reception of one of the ends of a suitablebolt member 33. This bolt 33 is connected with the lower endol' thesliding latch 24 through the medium of flexible elements 34.

In operation the lever 21 is swung rearwardly from the post 10 carryingwith it the resilient member 14 and the mail receptacle 13. The latch 24is slid upwardly until its finger 26 engages with the eye 18 of themember 14, thereby effectively retaining the receptacle in deliveryposition and exerting a tension upon the resilient member 14. The bolt33 is now positioned in one of the openings 32 provided by the latchoperating arms 29. The opening in which the latch 33 is inserted beingdetermined by the direction in which the car is advancing toward thepost 10. The attendant within the car swings the trigger 6 outwardlyupon its pivot 7 a determined distance so that one of the fingers 8 ofthe trigger will contact with the offset 31 of the latch operating arm29, thus revolving the said arm and swinging the bolt member 33downwardly, causing the finger 26 of the sliding latch 24 to becomedisengaged from the eye 18 and the resilient member 14 to be releasedfrom its tension and to swing the receptacle 13 outwardly causing themail deposited within the receptacle to be forced therefrom and throughthe open door 2 ol the car 1. The forward. movement of the receptacle 13is limited by a collar or oil set 35 secured to the free end of the arm12.

By reference to Fig. 2 ol' the drawings it will be noted that the car isprovided with a pair of brackets arranged at its opposite ends and thatby this arrangement the trigger member 6 may be pivotally connected ateither end 01' the car, so that a car going in either direction may havethe trigger in operative position.

It is frequently desirable to retain the mail receptacle 13 in arearwardly swung position, when not in use for delivering mail, andwithout the need of employing the finger 26 of the latch 24 to engagethe eye 18 of the member 14, and in order to accomplish this I providethe lever 21 with a pivoted dog 36, which may be swung into engagementwith the rear ol' the post 10 and efl'ectively sustain the receptacleadjacent the post and in an inoperative position. By this arrangement itwill be noted that when there is no mail to he delivered to the trainthe trigger 6 carried by the train may be swung outwardly and maycontact with the fingers 31 of the latch arms 29 without operating thedelivery apparatus.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment 01' theinvention as it now appears to me, it is to be understood that minordetails of construction, within the scope of the l'ollowing claims, maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the device.

Having thus fully described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. In a mail bag despatcher, a post, a mail receptacle resilientlyconnected to the post, means for regulating the tension of the resilientconnection, a sliding latch upon the post, means for swinging thereceptacle rearwardly to be engaged by the latch, arms rotatablyconnected with the post, a lock bar having a flexible connection withthe latch, and o'tlset fingers upon the arms, and a car having a triggermember adapted to contact the fingers ol' the arms.

2. The combination with a mail car having a pivoted trigger and a handleconnected therewith, 01' a station post, said post having a longitudinalopening adapted for the reception of an arm provided with a collar atone end and. having a mail receptacle secured at the opposite end, aresilient mem ber connected with the post and having its free endbifurcated to engage the arm and to bear against the rear 01' thereceptacle, an eye upon the resilient member, a connection between theeye and the arm of the receptacle, a lever pivotally connected to therear of the post, straps connecting the lever with the resilient member,a dog pivotally connected with the lever, a sliding latch mounted inbearings upon the post, and adapted to engage the eye of the resilientmember when the receptacle is swung rearwardly adjacent the post, latchoperating arms mounted for rotation upon each side of the post, saidarms having transverse openings, a lock bar having a flexible connectionwith the latch and adapted to engage the opening of one of the arms, andsaid arms having their outer extremities provided with fingers adaptedto be contacted by the trigger of the car.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILBUR BUTLER.

l/Vitnesses:

GUY H. MILLER, GILBERT FONS'IAD.

